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EVS exerience of the belgian volunteer Celine Mewissen

EVS exerience of the belgian volunteer Celine Mewissen

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Hi all,

Let me introduce myself: my name is Celine and I come from Liege in Belgium. I started a European Voluntary Service in January 2017 with ADVIT as coordinating organization. It all began with checking for hours the hundreds of projects on the EVS Database and applying to the ones I was the most interested in. I finally ended up in Chisinau, the capital city of a small country of Eastern Europe: the Republic of Moldova!

I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Moldova before moving in. I had only heard that it looks like the French countryside in the 50’s and well, being born in the 90’s, I had no idea what it meant. However, discovering an unknown country and build my own opinion about it, without being influenced by previous judgment, stories I heard, reviews of touristic websites or whatever was quite exciting.

My arrival happened really smoothly. The mentor who was attributed to me as a help for the first days came to pick me up at the airport and I had my first ride in the famous Rutiera – most commonly named Marshtruska by the volunteers – which was a good preview of Moldova. I spent five weeks in a host family, living with a lovely Babushka. My knowledge of Romanian language being totally inexistent, it was hard to communicate but this provided us with countless laughing moments trying to sign to each other. However, after a few weeks I found it easier to understand basic instructions and to express myself. I then moved in a flat with 3 other volunteers from Italy, France and Germany. It is a simple accommodation but comfortable and located close to the center which is really convenient!

After a few days of visiting and acclimatizing to the city, I started to work at the Rehabilitation Center for Torture’s Victims (RCTV Memoria). The organization provides rehabilitation assistance to victims of political repression, recent victims of torture in Moldova and among refugees and to victims of domestic and sexual violence through medical, psychosocial and legal support. The staff has been welcoming and I felt integrated in the team straight away. Moreover, the director of the organization was curious about what I wanted to learn and was willing to confer me responsibilities, which was really rewarding.

In a period of 3 months, I already acquire a lot of skills and new knowledge that are going to be useful in my future such as fundraising, project management, reporting, etc. In addition, they gave me the opportunity to attend various events like conferences, exhibitions, demonstrations; I even joined the public of a talk show at the National Moldovan TV! Of course, like in every (volunteer) work, you have to adapt to the organization and its schedule. Some periods are busier and you need to rush or do extra hours and some periods are a bit empty. But let’s see the bright side of this: first, you learn to be flexible and second, you can fill up your free time with personal projects. For example, the other volunteers of RCTV Memoria and I are working on a presentation video of the center aiming to improve their visibility on the net.

An important part of the integration is the language. Our coordinating organization is providing us with 30 hours of lesson, either in Romanian (Moldovan) or Russian. I have Romanian lesson every week together with another volunteer. We learn a lot thanks to our teacher but still, it can be hard to apply the vocabulary and grammar learnt into an actual conversation. That becomes a bit easier with some practice. This is why it is important not to be shy and talk as much as possible with local people: at work, when going shopping, when going out… Honestly, I have to apply this advice more to myself!

Finally, I would like to tell a bit more about the country in itself. Before January, I have never been further east in Europe than Berlin so post soviet style was not something I am use to and I have been stroke that at first. After the winter snow melted and the trees started to get some colors, Chisinau became more charming. It is a small but lively capital city, especially when you get close to Piata Centrala, a big market selling mainly food but also whatever can be sold. There are a lot of parks and lakes where it is pleasant to spend time when the weather is good. There are other places to discover in Moldova: Cricova and its huge wine cellars, Soroca and its Fortress, Orheiul Vechi and its Monastery, Comrat in Gagauzia, etc. It is also pretty easy to visit Romania and Ukraine and other countries close by. But after your trip abroad, you are always excited to come back for… PLACINTE! Placinte is a kind of pastry stuffed with potato, cabbage or cheese that you can find in small take away shops all around the city. It is delicious and cheap. Whenever someone ask me what I love the most about Moldova, the picture of a tasty placinte always comes first into my mind.

In brief, this experience can be challenging but this is probably what makes it so enjoyable and worthwhile at the end of the day. I encourage anyone looking to learn a language, get to know another culture, acquire new skills and, last but not least, meet amazing people – locals and volunteers from all around Europe – to take a step forward and sign up for this adventure!

Excursion to Soroca and Orheiul Vechi

Excursion to Soroca and Orheiul Vechi

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Last Saturday, 17 EVS volunteers and 2 ADVIT coordinators travelled by bus in the early morning to explore Soroca, a beautiful city in the north of Moldova. Originally, the trip was scheduled to occur one week earlier but due to a sudden revival of winter in late April (aka #snowpocalypse), it was impossible to leave the house. This time, the weather gods were favourably inclined towards our group, so we could feel the warm sun rays when we left the bus two hours later. Fortunately, most of us had napped during the trip, so we were well-rested enough, to climb the more than 600 steps towards the Candle of Gratitude Monument (Lumânarea Recunoștinței). 
 
The monument was designed by Moldavan writer, Ion Durta, who aimed to memorialize the Moldovan culture and all those who made efforts to preserve it throughout different periods of history. From the candle, which was built on the rocks close to the river Nistru, we enjoyed the astonishing view over Moldova and Ukraine, which starts on the other side of the river. 
 
 
Afterwards, we visited the famous fortress of Soroca, which was built in the Middle Ages to protect the country. The architecture of this place is amazing and it is difficult to believe how old it is. Furthermore, it is the only intact and preserved building of this time in the country. After a short introduction from a tour guide, we explored the fortress by ourselves for another hour.
 
Considering our climb and fortress exploration (and the fact that lunch time was fast approaching!), it came as no surprise that the group was very hungry. We decided to have a picnic nearby, in the forest next to the Cosăuți Monastery. We didn’t visit the latter, not only because of the previously mentioned hunger, but also because most of us had taken part in an interesting but exhausting 9-monastery-tour during Postul Mare (the Lent before Easter), so we weren’t ready to enter another one just yet. After lunch, we started to play some games, which aroused the interest of a group of local kids and teenagers, who joined us for some time.
 
Since it was still quite early, we decided spontaneously to visit Orheiul Vechi as well. This place is a famous historical and natural site in Moldova which is definitely worth a visit. We walked uphill while enjoying the spectacular view over the Răut River and across the whole lowlands. First, we headed to the cave monastery, which was directly built into the rocks of the hillside, and afterwards made our way to the other monastery on top of the hill. Of course, we couldn’t leave Orheiul Vechi without making a wish at Crucea Dorintei, an old cross made of stone. Even though it was unlikely that anybodys wish included the weather conditions, we were really lucky anyway, because the very moment we arrived back to the bus for the drive home, it started to rain. Ce noroc! We weren’t affected at all by this weather but were happy that we had had such a nice day.

“With whom would you like to live in the same house?”

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Prepare a drawing of a house on the (paper)board. The facilitator tells the story of family Miller:

“In this house live Mr. and Mrs. Miller with their 20 year old son David. The family lives quite happily together in this house. One day a bad accident happens and father and mother Miller loose their lifes. David inherits the house of his family and lives a single and satisfied life, untill one day David looses his job. David is no longer able to afford the live in the big house by himself. With his last money he decides to split the house into 6 appartments and puts them up “for rent” in the newspaper.”

Now, imagine you are David and that you have to choose five tenants from the list of people applying to your add, in order to be able to keep the house.

Task for the participants:
1. choose 5 tenants from the list – individually (approx. 20 min.)
2. in group of 5 to 6 persons choose 5 tenants that the whole group agrees on (approx. 20 min.)
3. debriefing:
– Has the group found 5 common tenants? Yes /No? Why (not)?
– How did the group work together to find those common tenants? What was difficult, what was easy?
– Discuss the reasons why you decided for these persons.

This exercise shows very well the impact of prejudices and different pre-conceptions we have about other people. To have no prejudices is almost impossible, the most important is to understand that these are prejudices and that discussions about differences and getting to know people better can change opinions.

Attention! The debriefing is the most important part of the exercise. Take care of the possible emotions in the group!

 

With whom would you like to live in the same house ?

  1. A single mother with a 3 year old child whose father is Tunisian. He visits his son occasionally and sometimes bring along a few friends.
  2. A Yugoslavian migrant workers family with 5 children between 1 and 12. Father works in steel industry, mother would take the position of the concierge.
  3. A family with a 17 year old daughter attending 11th grade at a secondary school. Father is an accountant in a bank, mother is a teacher.
  4. A single 70 year old lady living on minimal retirement payment.
  5. A group of  7 polish refugees, all working in the kitchen of a large restaurant.
  6. A group of 5 young people living an alternative life-style rejecting the materialistic ideology of consumption.
  7. Three Palestinian students who are politically engaged.
  8. A gypsy family of 5 persons. Father works occasionally and is unemployed in between times. They are a part of a larger family which has strong ties and likes to hold festivities.
  9. An American couple without children. Husband is working at the International Atomic Energy Authority, wife is taking care of the household and 3 poodles.
  10. Two artists, approx. 40 years old who live rather a bohemian and unconventional lifestyle and have many artist friends.
  11. A girl studying piano and singing at the Conservatorium, who has to practice regularly in the afternoons.
  12. A black American with his Austrian girlfriend. He is trying to get work permit as an engineer.
  13. A religious Muslim family which lives strictly according to the Koran, the mother leaving the house only veiled.
  14. A gay men who’s single, but invites a lot of man during the week in his apartment.
  15. A young men, he’s wheelchair user and live with his 76 years old mother.
  16. A girl, who is blind, she lives alone with her dog.

“Who Are You” discussion questions

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Discussion Questions

  1. Who are you? What defines who you are?
  2. What is the best thing about being a girl/boy?
  3. How is being a girl/boy different from being a boy/girl?
  4. Talk about a time when you wished you were not a girl/boy?
  5. What group of people do you like to hang out with?
  6. What has been the most difficult part about getting older?
  7. When do you pretend to be somebody else?
  8. What are some qualities you judge other people on?
  9. What are some of your short-term goals?
  10. What are some things about you that are super-special?
  11. Do you face challenges with a positive or negative attitude?
  12. Talk about a time you wished you were someone different.
  13. Who are your role models? What makes you look up to and admire these people?
  14. How do you want other people to see you?
  15. When do you feel ‘fake’?
  16. How does your personality change as you associate with different groups of people? Why do you think it changes?
  17. Is it difficult to point out your good qualities to other people?
  18. Is it easy to point out your flaws to other people?
  19. How or where do you see yourself in 10 years? How will you get there?

“Who Am I?” tool

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Activity 1 – Mind Mapping

Give each of participant several sheets of paper and a pen and have them write “Who am I?” in the center of each of the pages.

Get them to do a series of mind maps where they write down who they perceive themselves to be in various areas of life. Spend a few minutes on each of the following mind map topics:

  • Relationships – List all the different relationship roles that they have, such as brother, son, grandson, nephew, student, employee, boyfriend, etc.
  • Cultural – List cultural aspects of their life like religion / faith, ethnicity, language, nationality, etc.
  • Likes – List their favorite activities, hobbies, music, sports, TV shows, etc.
  • Dislikes – List the activities, music, sports, TV shows, etc. that they don’t care for
  • Hopes – List things that they want to do in the future, such as jobs, how many kids they want, going skydiving, etc.

More creative young people will prefer to visualize these rather than simply writing their answers down. Therefore, have colored pens or pencils on hand so that they can draw /sketch / doodle their answers instead.

Activity 2 – Compare & Contrast

With their mind maps in hand, have them go around the room and compare who they are with the other young people. Who do they have most in common with? Are they surprised by what they find?

The similarities will help your young people find common ground, something that’s particularly useful if you’re in the forming stage of a new youth group. If any find that they don’t have much in common with the other youth, celebrate the differences with them too.

Activity 3 – Fan Mail

This activity is good for groups of young people who know each other quite well. Instead of asking “Who am I?”, Fan Mail asks “Who am I in other people’s eyes?” from a positive viewpoint.

You have the youth write their name at the top of a piece of paper. Put each piece of paper and a pen around the room randomly. Explain that everyone in the room needs to go around the room and at the bottom of the paper write something positive about the person whose name is at the top of the paper. It needs to be something thoughtful, if possible, rather than just ‘nice’ or ‘cool hair’. Especially try to refrain from comments about physical appearance. Once they write their comment, they fold up the bottom of the paper to cover their comment. Put on some music and let the group begin. Each person does this and the paper gets folded up over each comment so that it’s private between the writer and the receiver.  Once everyone is done hand the papers back to each youth for them to read and keep.

Activity 4 – Who Are You?

The final activity will need a little preparation as you need photos of all your young people. If you have a fairly consistent turnout of the same young people, take their photos a week or two before and get them printed in the meantime.

If you’re less sure about who’ll be there the week when you’re running these “Who am I?” activities, see if you can get your hands on a photo printer and photo paper so that you can print them off there and then. Alternatively, recruit an errand person just for this session – take photos of your young people and then send them off to the local Target or Walmart (or whatever you have in your country) to get 1 hour photos printed and returned in time to finish this off.

On the back of the photos, write “Who are you?” at the top, then write “You are……” and list several positive statements and character traits about each young person. This will therefore be similar to the Fan Mail activity listed above, only this time it’s you rather than their peers who’s giving them the feedback. If possible, include your volunteers by having them write something positive about each young person too.

The back of the photo may therefore read something like:

Who Are You?

You are……

  • Generous
  • Kind
  • Always helping to tidy up
  • An encourager
  • A great singer

At the end of the session, give them each their photo to take home with them. They’ll be sure to treasure both this and the sheet of fan mail.

“Welcome to My Village!” tool

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Welcome to My Village!!!!

Aims of the tool

  • to bring reflection about intercultural competences
  • to make participants aware how quick assimilation gets in stead of integration
  •  to open discussion about cultures, values and symbols…

Description of the tool

  • Group is divided in 4 groups, each on a table with 5 kg of clay.
  • The whole activity should be silent, no verbal or written communication.
  • Each table receives the instructions and starts to build.

When the villages are ready, you facilitate the ” destiny” by pulling straws. Longest straw goes to the right, shortest to the left table. (Follow the instruction according the uploaded attachment)

Let the process begin and observe the reactions.

Welcome to My Village!!!!

From now on, the activity will be in complete silence. It is forbidden to speak, or even whisper and you are not allowed to write things down. There cannot be any kind of communication with words.

                                                          TASK 1

Your collective task will be to make a village in clay… Each of you should make at least one house (your house) but you should also be involved in the creation of the common parts/buildings of the village!


IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:

  • In your village you do not use “Square“ shapes (the devil lives in the corners!!)
  • Doors cannot be in front of each other ( you respect each other’s privacy)
  • There should always be at least about 15 centimeter’s between each house, but not more then 20! (Because of safety reasons…)
  • The center of the village is the place to pray. This construction should be more or less at an equal distance of each house, so nobody should walk more or less then somebody else, to pray.
  • Images of animals are considered as nice; however you highly respect nature and cannot use images of plants…

Some more things to take into consideration:

  • In your village there can be no direct eye contact with women when you communicate with them. This includes other women as well. When people do this, it is very rude and the women traditionally react by a loud and clear NO! and turn their heads away.
  • Men can only work with their right hand, since the left hand is the  defense hand and should always be ready to react in case of danger
  • When you wish to communicate you have to raise your hand and point at the “holy place” before communicating (but never speak!!!)

Welcome to My Village!!!!

From now on, the activity will be in complete silence. It is forbidden to speak, or even whisper and you are not allowed to write things down. There cannot be any kind of communication with words.

                                                            TASK  1

Your collective task will be to make a village in clay… Each of you should make at least one house (your house) but you should also be involved in the creation of the common parts/buildings of the village!


IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:

  • In your village you do not use  “round “ shapes ( this brings bad luck)
  • Doors have to be in front of each other as you like to greet each other and you are strongly connected to each other)
  • There should never be more than about 15 centimeter’s between each house, but not less then 5! (because of safety reasons…)
  • There is no centre of the village. The place to pray is in the north of the village. This construction is in the shape of a star, and no other house should be more to the north than this place…
  • The moon is a holy symbol and should be involved in ALL constructions

Some more things to take into consideration:

  • When you wish to communicate (but do not speak) you have to raise your hand in the air before to start to communicate – other wise it is very rude….
  • Women and man can never touch each other in public
  • The image of a flower is considered as the most beautiful object and it is an honor to receive it… However you do not make images of humans…
  • Messages for the whole group can only be made when you hold a piece of clay between your two pointing fingers…         

Welcome to My Village!!!!

From now on, the activity will be in complete silence. It is forbidden to speak, or even whisper and you are not allowed to write things down. There cannot be any kind of communication with words.

                                                       TASK 1

Your collective task will be to make a village in clay… Each of you should make at least one house (your house) but you should also be involved in the creation of the common parts/buildings of the village!


IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:

  • In your village you do not use  “flat roofs” – ( you need air to breath) and constructions  are always in the shape of an L. ( This is a holy symbol…)
  • Doors can only be in each others line… well in order…
  • It is not important how far the houses are build from each other as long as there is a road from one to another…
  • The most important place of the village is the water fountain… all roads should go to the fountain, water is the symbol of life… and should be integrated in all kinds of images or constructions

Some more things to take into consideration:

  • Man can never communicate with other man without first touching the left hand of a women
  • When you pray you make an image of a flower but you destroy it immediate , the village prays a lot, at least once every 5 minutes…
  • When you have something to say which is important for the whole group you fist need to run a circle around the village to ask for attention.

Welcome to My Village!!!!

From now on, the activity will be in complete silence. It is forbidden to speak, or even whisper and you are not allowed to write things down. There cannot be any kind of communication with words.

THE TASK

Your collective task will be to make a village in clay… Each of you should make at least one house (your house) but you should also be involved in the creation of the common parts/buildings of the village!

IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:

  • In your village there are only pyramid buildings. – you believe that it brings you good fortune and energy… other shapes are inferior
  • The door is always on the north side of each building  
  • The house nearest to the north is the highest , and they become smaller the more you go to the south
  • Streets are forbidden because they make you walk too much in line and limit your opportunities
  • The image of the sun should be on every house, this is the symbol of energy, if there is no image of a sun on the house then this house can not be entered and is not considered as  part of the community.

Some more things to take into consideration:

  • Women are considered as the highest energy creatures ( they give birth to new life) and for that reason all final decisions should be confirmed by a women
  • Before women respond in the communication (but you can not speak) she first sits down on the floor, to be in touch with mother earth and to receive good energy…
  • Men can only sit on their bent knees on the floor and they cannot sit on their bottom as it is very insulting… Men can only sit on their knees as a symbol of agreement towards the women.  If he does not agree he needs to turn his back for 5 seconds to the women.
                                                                  TASK 2

The government of your country, where all villages are located have decided that it is time to make some cultural exchanges…

From each village one person each will go to the other villages.

The honored persons will be chosen by destiny…  everyone in each village will pick  a stick, the longest  and shortest leave the village and go to one of the other villages

He/she has to take his/her house with them to the other village (government pays for the moving…) Please take in consideration all the instructions you received before when building your first (original) village.


TASK FOR THE VILLAGERS WHO STAY IN THE ORIGINAL VILLAGES:

The persons from the other villages arrive in your village and have the right to pick out a position. It is up to you to help them…

Try to integrate (without talking) the new persons in your community! Take in consideration your original instructions to make the village…

TASK FOR THE NEW ARRIVALS

You can choose any position in the village to put your house. (The government gave you the right to this…)

Your next step is to integrate into the community

Since the government wishes to develop a collective and uniform feeling of identity, they have organised a competition to create a national symbol.

Every village needs to construct a new national symbol and enter it into the competition. The government’s department leading on this will choose a symbol for the whole country. This symbol needs to be made from clay of your houses (so you will need to adapt your houses after you gave your contribution)…

It should be a representation of how you all feel in your village…

Good luck!0

“Today I Choose….” tool

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Today I Choose….

Everything we do in life is a choice. Every choice has a consequence. The consequence can be positive or negative. Young people often find it more difficult to think about the ramifications of their decisions. The pressures and uncertainties during times of trouble can lead to poor choices. This activity focuses on the importance of thinking through and planning to help promote healthy decision making.

Materials

Procedure

  1. Explain to participants that they will be focusing on choices. Ask for some examples of the many choices they make every day.
  2. Talk about these examples and point out that good choices are often harder to make but usually lead to better results.
  3. Talk to participants about how empowering themselves means to know that most everything they do in life is their choice.
  4. Give a copy of the My Life is a Choice handout to each participant.
  5. Have them complete the handout and see how many things they actually choose to do in one day.
  6. When everyone is finished, have them talk about a few of their daily choices.
  7. When they are done sharing, steer the discussion toward what the consequences may be if they do not make these choices. For example, they may choose to take a shower. If they don’t, they will smell bad. Other examples: They choose to brush their teeth. If they don’t they may get cavities. They choose to eat lunch. If they don’t, they may get hungry or have a headache.
  8. Complete the activity by repeating the idea that making choices is empowering.

Discussion Questions

  • Can you name a few difficult situations in which making a good choice may be a struggle for many people today?
  • Why do you think these situations are so difficult?
  • How would you advise someone to handle these difficult situations?
  • How will you use what you have learned today?

“The Masks We Wear” tool

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People often compare themselves to others. They also wear different masks or put on different faces, depending in the particular norms of the social situation they are in. Masks provide a comforting way for them to hide their true selves and fit in and they serve as a protective barrier to avoid getting hurt. Teenagers, in particular, often go through tumultuous times and experience a roller coast of emotions, leaving them more vulnerable to loss of identity. This activity allows participants to analyse, demonstrate, and explore the different ways they act around the important people in their lives.

Materials

  • Paper plates (at least 3 for each person)
  • Magazines or newspapers
  • Pencils or pens, coloured markers/felt pens
  • Optional: Craft (paddle pop) sticks, glue or tape

Procedure

  1. Begin with a discussion about why people wear masks.
  2. Ask participants to think about the masks they wear and how they change daily. Provoke thought about how they act at home, school, and social events and around friends, boys, girls, strangers, teachers, sports coaches and others.
  3. Hand out the materials and have each participant decorate three masks, with each mask representing how he/she presents himself/herself most often.
  4. When everyone is finished, ask them to discuss their masks and how they change from day to day and situation to situation. If you use craft (paddle pop) sticks, participants can attach them to their masks so they can hold the masks up to their faces when describing the different situations in which they wear them.

Discussion Questions

  • Which mask do you feel most comfortable in?
  • Which mask would you like to get rid of?
  • How will you use what you have learned today?